She thought her life was over – but fate gave her another chance, in a world of magic. Now, running around Hogwarts with James Potter and his friends, she's about to make choices that will change the future in ways she never thought possible…

Marauder's Phase

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHT

The Dying Words

I disliked travelling by Floo Powder, but I had no choice, as I was spun around in the emerald green flames before landing on the stone floor of the Black's kitchen. Regulus was waiting for me, and helped me to my feet without saying a word. He seemed to have lost the power of speech fifteen minutes ago.

Together we waited for Bellatrix who, by some unspoken agreement, was ignoring me, and I her. This was not the time for us to be arguing. I knew she was upset about her aunt, which made her seem almost…human.

And then I reminded myself what kind of human she actually was, and I turned away from her as she came out of the fireplace.

I turned to see Kreacher shuffling into the kitchen, looking like the world was coming to an end.

"My poor mistress," He said miserably. "My poor, poor mistress…" I felt kind of sorry for him, as Regulus did his best to comfort him, and Bellatrix hurried to the front door to await the Auror who would be accompanying us across London to St. Mungo's (like Regulus and Bellatrix needed protection from Dark Wizards…). I stood in the kitchen with nothing to do but rearrange the items in my robe pockets – transferring the pocket watch and my wand into the top pocket, and putting my enchanted dog and wolf charms into the right pocket, taking out the pocket watch again and putting it in the left pocket…I did this even as I was getting a drink of water from the sink.

"Could you please stop that?" Bellatrix asked, as she came back into the kitchen. "It's annoying…"

I was about to answer her (and I can't say that what I would've said was going to be very nice) but the words died in my mouth when I saw the Auror who would be coming with us.

Kind of grizzled-looking, and wearing a bowler hat to cover one eye, it was Alastor Moody, better known as Mad-Eye Moody.

I didn't mean to stare.

"You got a problem with me, kid?" Moody asked, glaring around at all of us with his visible eye. Without waiting for an answer, he went on: "Come on, we haven't got all day…ruddy tardy kids…"

Regulus and I exchanged a glance.

Then, something made me pause. "Hang on…how do we know you're the real Alastor Moody?" Everyone stopped and stared at me. "I mean, in this day and age you can never be too careful…"

Moody actually smiled, though it was hard to tell. "Smart thinking kid, although…" And he reached for his wand, because my hands were occupied and I'd never reach my wand in time. But he stopped, because Regulus already had his wand out, with the sharp reflexes of a seeker.

"You were saying?" Regulus asked quietly.

Moody shook his head. "You two work pretty well together. You wouldn't make bad Aurors, actually…"

I choked on a mouthful of water.

***###

Sitting next to Regulus on the muggle train, I began wishing I'd brought a book or something with me, and that people would stop staring at us. At first, I thought it was because of Moody's appearance, or maybe Bellatrix's hair, but I soon found out that wasn't the case. As we got off the train in the heart of London, I was stopped by a little girl who couldn't have been more than six. In unmistakable French, she said to me: "Vous et votre ami êtes très mignons ensemble. Une paire parfaite !"

"Uh…what?" I asked, as she giggled and ran off, presumably back to her mother. I glanced at Regulus. "What did she say?" Where was Apolline when you needed her? "I don't speak much French…"

Regulus, however, did. He looked somewhat embarrassed. "She said…we make a good pair. That we looked cute together." He glanced at me quickly.

'Why does everyone keep saying that?' I wondered, not meeting Regulus' gaze. "Well…hmm…"

Bellatrix was glaring daggers at the both of us.

***###

Regulus and Bellatrix turned sombre as we made our way toward Walburga's room. Moody had stationed himself at the end of the corridor, and now we approached a nurse, who said to us: "You're here to see Walburga Black?"

Bellatrix and I nodded wordlessly, and Regulus asked her: "How is she?"

"Not very good," The nurse admitted truthfully. She spoke gently to us. "If you want to stay with her, then you can…" She made it sound as if…

Regulus, his face white, left my side and entered the room. Without a word to each other or the nurse, Bellatrix and I followed him.

***###

It didn't surprise me that Walburga Black had a room all to herself. Looking at the woman lying in the bed, her face a sickly shade of yellow, I remembered how she had treated Sirius, and stayed back as her youngest son and niece went to her side, and Regulus took her hand.

"Mother…" I heard him say.

"S-son…my precious…son…" She rasped.

I couldn't hear what they were saying after that but, suddenly, Walburga pointed one long, yellow finger at me, startling me.

Confused, and not at all keen to get too close to a dying woman, I edged toward her, not looking at Bellatrix as Walburga Black took my hand.

Looking into her face I realised with sudden shock that she really was dying.

"E-Emma P-Pax…" Her voice was so low that I had to close to her to hear her. "I w-want you t-to promise me that…you'll m-marry…marry…"

I think I stopped breathing then. "Marry into your family?" I whispered, not daring to look at Regulus or his cousin.

Walburga nodded slightly, hardly moving her head at all. Her grey eyes found mine, and pierced into them, as if ordering me, on her death bed, to marry her son Regulus.

"It means that much to you?" I barely breathed, realising that I was watching somebody die and, whether or not I liked her made no difference to me at all, as her cold hand grasped mine with surprising tightness.

"To…him…" She whispered, and then her eyes closed and she became still. Her hand slid from mine and landed with a thump on the sheets beside her.

Realising what had just happened, I gasped softly, and shut my eyes, my hand still hovering where she had let go of it.

"Mother…" Regulus Black whispered.

"Aunt Walburga…" Bellatrix murmured, and I opened my eyes, surprised to see her looking a bit upset, because I hadn't thought that it was possible for Bellatrix Lestrange to feel emotions.

'Mother-In-Law…' I thought, but I didn't say, as the three of us closed our eyes and reflected, in the presence of a dead woman. 'Maybe…someday…but I don't know if it will be as you imagined it…'

Suddenly, I opened my eyes, turned and began walking toward the door.

"Em?" Regulus' voice was quiet. "Where are you going?"

"Just…elsewhere." I said numbly, before hurrying out the door in a tangle of confused emotions.